Ancient pangolins and dinosaurs could be in Russia a few centuries ago. Mysterious creature (not the crocodile, not the prehistoric dinosaur found in Arzamas city in the early eighteenth century. The authorities have daspirtuli monster in a barrel, and sent to St. Petersburg to study. But accompanying the cargo guys, as you can guess, alcohol out of the barrel had a drink, and a relic of a pangolin (possibly the last one on the planet) has allowed for a snack... the emblem of the city of Moscow is well known - it depicts St. George slaying the Serpent with a spear.


But few people realize that this most Snakes (not deleted) is a being that lived once in the Russian forests. Ancient legends tell that sometime in the European part of Russia were found bloodthirsty monsters. Like dragons, they had a fierce temper, trying to attack without doubt on foot and horseback, tearing them to pieces. Fought them fabulous Russian heroes. They destroyed the medieval knights to win a favorable opinion of the Princess. And, who knows, perhaps not without their participation from the Earth disappeared some kind of prehistoric reptiles, survived even the ice age.

It is not so absurd as it may seem at first glance. It is not only legends, tales tell of mysterious monsters, reminiscent of the description of prehistoric pangolins. There are other, quite credible sources that tell about unknown draconomicon creatures. If you open the thirtieth including the Complete collection of Russian Chronicles where you can find amazing record, Dating from 1582 year:
"In the summer, according to it, fierce crocodiles came out of the river and the path of zatvorite, many people piyadasa, and yasashisa people and MOLISA God in all the earth. And again spryatalas, and other izbica. The same year predstavila tsarevitch Ivan, in the Settlement, on December 14th day."

What is this crocodiles (crocodiles?) came up from the river and attacked the people? After all, it was not in Africa, and the near Novgorod. Can chronicler just lied to "effect"? But here is another recording made by the agent of the British trading company by the name of Jerome Garza. In 1589 he once again went to Russia and Poland has witnessed incredible. In his diary survived such an entry:
"I left Warsaw in the evening, moved across the river, where on the shore lay poisonous dead crocodile, which my people broke spears belly. When this horrible stench spread that I was poisoned, and the sick in the nearest village, where he met such compassion and Christian aid that quickly recovered."

Strange pangolins, unusual for our fauna, are found in the memoirs of the Austrian Ambassador to Russia Sigizmund Herberstein, who visited us in 1517 and in 1526. Here are his words:
"This area abounds groves and forests, in which you can observe the terrible phenomenon. There is still a lot of idolaters, who feed at home some snakes with four short legs like lizards, with black and fat body... with some fear reverent worship them, creeping to put food..."

Three historical source, narrating about a very similar phenomena. Isn't that deserves attention? Of course, you can try to brush off these witness statements, as they clearly do not fit the usual picture of the world. Did once scientists with the story of one of the pilot who crashed on the island of Komodo in the Java sea.

It was in 1912, after Returning home, he began to tell incredible stories about some bloodthirsty monsters that supposedly live in those places. Only in the summer of 1926 on the island came the expedition zoologists who really discovered giant relic dinosaurs, they called "the dragons of Komodo".

These prehistoric animals, comprising not more than a thousand special reached a length of 3.5 meters and weigh about 150 kilograms. Giant lizards quite aggressive, sometimes steal sheep appropriate peasants, hunt antelopes. Famous German hunter who had killed during his life, many of lions, tigers and other dangerous predators, died on the island of Komodo under mysterious circumstances. He went to photograph the flock of monitor lizards and never returned. On the Bank of the swamp found only his boots and ruined the movie camera. It is possible that it yourself convinced of the validity of the existence of relict beings, the victim of these ancient creatures.

Can something similar was conducted once in Russian forests? I want to believe that one day cryptozoology interested in legends about the "Russian crocodiles". Indeed, more than once, checking such rumours, they were convinced that folk legends do not occur in a vacuum.

From official sources:
Currently, the international Union of cryptozoologis unites 800 scientists from 20 countries. Based on legends and myths, they are engaged in purposeful search of the mysterious animals, and incomprehensible phenomena of living nature. And this is not the pursuit of sensation and painstaking scientific work on the knowledge of the planet's biosphere. Let in this way it often puts them failures. But there is victory.

To take at least a snail, weighing more than one and a half kilograms. Scientists knew about it the stories of the blacks in Central Africa and even found a giant shell to these gastropods. But living instance was discovered by accident -0 among logs introduced in Marseille. Snail-Gulliver with triumph was shown in Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London. Among the corals of the Great Barrier reef of Australia cryptozoology recently caught immediately 8 new species of exotic fish, whose existence nobody even suspected. In the Sands of Arabia recently caught a large (120 cm) lizard, a relative of the Central Asian monitor lizard. Following the legends of the Arabs, it is searched in vain for 15 years.

The list goes on and on. It includes not only small animals, but also quite large. And even one monster. That it lives on the planet there is no doubt. And inhabits it is not just anywhere, but in the infamous Bermuda triangle.

At the bottom of the ocean, next to one of the Islands, cryptozoology, checking old pirate the legend of the giant spruces, established a steel trap with delicious bait. And when he raised him aboard the Oceanographic ship, saw the twisted metal. But in sharp claws ingenious provisions remains of living tissue, skin, and muscle unknown creature. The analysis showed: a trap broken many-handed Hercules, able to embrace their tentacles even a submarine. Judging by the degree of deformation alloy steel monster must weigh no less than three tons. Still biologists believed such a large cephalopods idle fiction drunken sailors. One of the main trumps of cryptozoologis - living near Comoros lobe-finned fish latimeria. Paleontologists believed that she had died out another 200 million years ago. Once the ancient latimeria he lives today, why not healthy, and other contemporaries?

Maybe crocodiles Novgorod forest - also survived prehistoric dinosaurs, which lived on the territory of Russia a few centuries ago? There is no answer. And could allow researchers to this puzzle want to throw some more food for thought.

Unknown crocodile receiving this time the name "Arzamas monstrous", appeared again on Russian soil in the early eighteenth century. The certificate was found in the archives of the city of Arzamas. Here is a brief excerpt from the document.

"Summer 1719 June 4 days was in the County great storm, tornado and hail, and many cattle and animals died. And there fell from heaven a serpent, God's wrath scorched, and stinking hell. And remembering the Decree of God by Sovereign grace of our Vserossiiskogo Peter Alekseevich from summer 1718 about Kunstkamera and collection for her wonderful things different, monstruo and freaks no, the heavenly stones, and other wonders, that serpent of this threw in a barrel with strong double wine..."

Signed paper Zemstvo Commissioner Vasily Bayonet. Unfortunately nothing came to St Petersburg Museum. Whether lost on the road, whether Naberezhniye Russian men obradovali from a barrel "double wine" (formerly known as vodka), and let other content on a snack... the Nature of the Arzamas monstrosa remained unsolved. Tornado whether brought from distant countries this crocodile? After all, according to the description stinking monster, fell from the sky, had short legs and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth. Or somewhere in the dense even then Russian forests were living their last century mysterious creatures mentioned in the Novgorod chronicle?

And may they live until now?
Recently, the newspaper reported that in the Desna river there was something, tearing fishing nets to pieces in one move. Attempts to catch unknown creature has yet met with success. Who knows, maybe were not translated in our land ancient reptiles such as that mentioned in old Chronicles and sealed at the Moscow coat of arms?

I. Tsarev